Nigeria starts offensive to retake strategic town of Baga from Boko Haram

Nigerian forces backed by air strikes began an offensive to retake the strategic northeastern town of Baga from Islamist militants on Thursday, the military said, noting that “a large number of terrorists had drowned in Lake Chad”. Baga is at Nigeria’s border with Chad, Niger and Cameroon and it was the headquarters of a multinational force comprising troops from all four countries.